Tender Lovin' Care
by CSM
Summary: Post-Countdown. Instead of heading home Kate gets some much needed TLC from Castle and his family and she comes to a realization


Kate shivers slightly, despite the warmer than normal temperatures within the precinct. She still has her coat on and slowly tugs the zipper all the way up. It's been a week since the almost bombing and her body still seems to be recovering from the mild case of hypothermia. The sound of the chair scrapping against the wooden floor catches her attention just as a large steaming travel cup is placed in front of her.

Castle smiles at her sympathetically, his own hands wrapped around a similar cup, "It gets worse at night. Sometimes I just make a cup of coffee to just hold it."

Kate nods in agreement as she does just that. Holding the warm cup to her chest, she recalls what Josh had told her the day after the almost bomb. "The effects of the hypothermia should wear off in a week or so. The 20 degrees outside doesn't help matters either, its why we're still experiencing some symptoms."

Kate watches as the light in Castle's eyes dim slightly at her words, before he clears his throat and gestures to the small pile of paperwork on Kate's desk, "You're not heading home?"

The unspoken mention of 'to be with Josh' hangs between them as Kate shakes her head, part her now realizing she hasn't seen her boyfriend since the day he came to check on her after the bomb. "No, I wanted to finish up this paperwork."

Castle nods as he takes a sip of his coffee. He watches her silently for a moment before he stands up abruptly. He takes the pen out of Kate's hand, ignoring her protests as he tugs her to her feet, "Montgomery gave us the rest of the night off…"

At the pointed look Kate sends him, Castle rolls his eyes, "Okay, he gave _you_ the rest of the night off. I can come and go as I please, and I have the perfect remedy for the cold."

Kate shifts reluctantly from one foot to the next, ever since the bomb she has been balancing on a delicate tight rope when it comes to her feelings towards Castle. Feelings, she still refuses to explore or acknowledge for that matter.

"Comfort food is the perfect winter food. "Castle promises as he scoops up her coffee mug and offers it to her.

"It's too late for the comfort food truck."

"Not for the Castle family comfort food." Castle says with a grin, "Alexis is making her famous macaroni and cheese with bacon bits, chicken noodle soup and of course, grilled cheese sandwiches."

Kate bites her lip at the thought of macaroni and cheese with bacon; it's definitely her weakness. By the mischievous grin that Castle sends her, he is well aware of that as well, "C'mon Beckett, you're not going to turn down my daughter's food are you?"

Kate huffs in exasperation as she swipes the empty travel mug from Castle's outstretched hands and transfers her coffee into it, "You already called her, didn't you?"

Castle just grins sheepishly, he holds out her scarf for her, Beckett rolling her eyes at his smile. Castle doesn't need to know that he didn't need to use his daughter to convince Kate to come over for dinner.

* * *

"….she and mother have been accommodating to the almost sauna like temperature in the loft." Castle explains as he and Kate step off of the elevator. "Mother unfortunately taking the accommodation to another level."

They had been exchanging stories of how they have been dealing with the residue of their hypothermia and naturally it turned into an unspoken competition as to who has been more dramatic. Castle, naturally over exaggerates his own story.

"What does that even mean?" Kate asks in amusement as she steps aside so Castle can unlock his front door.

"You don't want to know," Castle mutters. He shudders at obvious memory, as he fishes his keys out of his pockets, "I warned her that you were joining us for dinner."

Kate doesn't have time to question him further, because the front door slams open, Martha greeting them with enthusiastic jubilance, that only Martha Rodgers can have at 9 pm. But, it's not the greeting that has Kate's jaw dropping, but Martha's outfit. Martha is dressed from head to toe in a hula outfit, complete with coconut bras and grass skirt and bright pink and blue lei around her neck.

"Detective Beckett!" She greets loudly, the shells around her wrist clinkering as she gestures for Kate to come it, "Welcome, welcome!"

"Mother." Castle says with a groan his cheeks reddening as he looks at Kate apologetically, "What are you wearing?"

"Well, darling if you insist on having us live as though we are on a tropical island, then I must insist I dress the part." Martha says with a flourish, shells clinkering with every step she takes.

Kate bites her lip to hold back her laughter as Castle groans, Alexis who is in the kitchen waves at Kate before turning her attention back to her father, "I was able to convince her not to wear her swimsuit and to not order the coconut trees and hammock."

"Thank you for that, daughter," Castle says gratefully, clearly not even going to argue the point of putting a _hammock_ in the loft.

He pointedly ignores his mother as he walks up to Alexis, placing a kiss on her cheek in greeting. He turns the huge bowl of macaroni and cheese breathing in deeply, just as he is about to pick at the piece of bacon Alexis' slaps his hand away, point a spoon at him. This time Kate does giggle at Castle's disgruntle expression, earning a smile from Alexis.

"So dear, how are you feeling?" Martha asks offering Kate a glass of wine as they take a seat around the centre counter in the kitchen, "Richard told us you were worse off than he was. We can turn up the temperature for you, if you want?"

Kate shakes her head, reassuring Castle's mother that she is fine. Both she and Martha ignore Castle's indignant grumbling from behind the counter as Martha begins to tell Kate the latest mishaps with her acting studio. Kate is listening to Martha's tale so intently she doesn't hear Castle approach her until there is a large plate filled with macaroni and cheese and a bowl of chicken noodle soup hovering in front of her face.

"Oh Alexis this looks amazing!" Kate gushes as she breathes in the aroma of cheesy goodness, "Are you sure your father taught you how to cook? You can tell me the truth, you don't have to spare his feelings for me."

"Hey now!" Castle protests. He hands Martha her own plate before he slides onto the bar stool next to Kate, "This is the treatment I get for not only feeding you, but keeping you warm?"

Kate coughs, choking on her bite of macaroni and cheese, Castle's cheeks turn red as rubs Kate's back chuckling softly. Alexis looks back and forth between Kate and her father, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "Dad is there something you need to tell me?"

"What?" Castle splutters, shaking his head. He takes a moment to take a sip of his wine and then responds, his voice returning back to normal. "No, no! There is nothing to tell."

Alexis's red eyebrows raise to her hairline but she makes no comment as she takes a sip of her soup, her gaze turning to Kate. Before Kate can remark and try and rectify the awkward situation, Martha dives into a story about her early theatre days. Almost immediately she has all of them laughing, the moment passing, but Kate can still feel Castle's eyes on her as she focuses on the soup in front of her.

She can't ignore the fact that tonight is the first night she hasn't felt the bitter cold seeping through her bones, much like she has been experienced for the past few nights. That chill that seemed to stay with her throughout the day and magnified at night. At first she chalked it up to the ramifications of suffering from hypothermia, but sitting in Castle's loft surrounded by him and his family and she's yet to feel the tremors that usually begin to take over her body and she's beginning to realize the tremors had nothing to do with her hypothermia.

The sound of her spoon scrapping against the bottom of the ceramic bowl, pulls her out of her dangerous thoughts and she quickly tunes into the conversation around her, happy to just listen to Castle banter with his daughter.

* * *

She shivers the moment she steps into her dark apartment, despite the current 85 degree that her thermostat has been permanently been set on for the past few days. She slips off her heels, her toes curling into the warm carpet. A sudden noise coming from her bedroom, immediately has her own high alert, as she grabs her gun that still at her hip. She takes a tentative step into her living room, but immediately deflates on seeing the small table at the centre of the table set for two complete with half burned out candle.

"I thought I'd surprise you with a late dinner." A voice calls out to her left.

Josh is standing at the entrance of her room, duffle bag strung over his shoulders as he looks at her sadly.

"I didn't know you had tonight off." She says finally finding her voice, "There was a case…"

"I called the precinct, they said you left over three hours ago." Josh cuts her off, his voice void of any emotion.

Kate stutters, unsure how to respond to that, but Josh just shakes his head as he begins to make his way towards the front door, "Goodbye, Kate."

"Josh…" She calls out, stopping him in his tracks, but when she realizes she doesn't know what to say next, Josh releases a deep breath as he looks her in the eye.

"We both know this was not going anywhere," Josh says softly, "I was just the one to call it first."

Kate nods, and silent watches as he walks out the door, never looking back and for the first time since the bomb, she feels lighter.


End file.
